Simple, quick, and very pleasurable, The Male Deer Exercise is the
best known men's health exercise from taoist qi gong.

To be effective, it should be performed daily. When properly and regularly enjoyed, results will be seen in anywhere from a week or two in young men to a month or two in seniors.

It cultivates sexual
energy, improves overall vitality and mental alertness, improves
sexual enjoyment, and reduces or eliminates many common men's
ailments (see the bottom of this article for a partial list).

The Male Deer Exercise is performed without clothing,
once daily, preferably in the morning.

It is best practiced with an
erection, but will provide some benefit even without one. If necessary, one may masturbate to produce the erection,
but starting with "morning wood" is all the better. The male deer exercise is best
performed with the bladder comfortably empty.

The Posture:
Sit comfortably, either crosslegged or on the edge of a chair, with your genitals hanging in free space.
Make sure you are not in a drafty or cold area.

The Male Deer Exercise has two steps::

First, a pleasurable circular pelvic (dan tien) massage performed while cupping the genitals at specific points, and
second, a pelvic floor exercise called 'holding firm,' similar to a
kegel exercise.

a) The Pelvic Massage: Remove any clothing or jewelry,
and sit in the posture described above. Warm your hands by rubbing
them vigorously together. Now cup the right hand around the
testicles, holding them gently and warming the scrotum. the thumb of
the right hand should rest on top of the base of the penis shaft,
right next to the abdomen.

Now place your left palm over the dan' tien
(the center of the palm should be covering the point 4 finger widths
below your navel). Circle the palm around this point, below the navel
but above the base of the penis, 81 times, gently chafing the skin.
You may find that it creates small knots in the hair of your "happy
trail", so you may need to trim these out. But it will be worth it.

Next, switch hands and repeat. The circular massage will
be turning in the opposite direction. The direction does not matter,
as long as each hand goes a different way, so that both clockwise and
counterclockwise are covered.

Enjoy the sensations and connect with the warm pleasurable feelings. Should you startto lose your erection, you may gently stimulate yourself back to hardness, and proceed with the exercise.
For general purposes of
vitality and health and increased sensitivity, 81 repetitions each direction are
recommended.

b) "Holding Firm" - the pelvic contraction. First, rest
your hands in your lap. Form your hands into fists by encircling your
thumbs in the other fingers. This activates a number of important
acupressure points. Next, while breathing deeply and comfortably in and out, contract and lift the perineum - the muscles between the base of the scrotum and the anus. Keep breathing in a deep, relaxed manner while
holding the contraction as long as you comfortably can, usually about a minute. You only need
to do this step once.

During the contraction, try to keep the anal sphincter and stomach
muscles relaxed while squeezing and lifting only the perineal muscles.
(You can learn to isolate the mucles by feeling them contract against
the pads of your fingers. Oh - smile and enjoy the experience while you contract your muscles! Feel
the connection between the tingle in the pelvic floor, the tingle in
your spine, and the tingle in your brain. enjoy it! If it's hard for you to
locate the muscles to contract and lift, just think of the muscles you use to stop urination in
mid-stream, and contract!

Effects of the Male Deer Exercise:

The dan tien/ pelvic massage stage of the deer exercise massages an
acupressure point while exercising the tissue around the vas deferens,
and the central erector muscle of the penis. This has the effect of
de-sensitizing the glans (taking you off of "hair-trigger" mode),
while increasing the bloodflow and sensitivity of the rest of the
penis and pelvis. The cupping of, and gentle pressure on the testes, increases blood flow and sperm (and spermine) production.
This in turn increases blood and lymphatic circulation, releases beneficial hormones
including DHEA, and increases neural development. It can increase both fullness and bouyancy of the
erection by strengthening suspensory ligaments and muscles while
increasing blood and lymphatic movement in the penis...

The pelvic floor lift tones strengthens the muscles of the penis and the
ligaments supporting the vas deferens, increases
fertility, and also increases pelvic bloodflow and relaxed
sensitivity. It also draws energy from the seminal fluid upward to the spine and brain, and manipulates the vagus nerve, increasing the potential for whole-body orgasm

Together, the two phases of the male deer exercise spread sexual
pleasure and energy throughout the body, increasing the potential for
whole-body orgasm. By regulating male
hormones and increasing bloodflow, they also help to prevent or cure
impotence and premature ejaculation, to strengthen the erection, to reduce incidence of prostate disease, and give greater sexual control, endurance, and sensitivity.

It should be noted that along with increasing sexual health,
enjoyment, mental clarity, and overall vitality, the exercise
increases male fertility and virility. Appropriate precautions should always be taken to
prevent an unplanned pregnancy, and the possible transmission of venereal disease!

You can learn more about this version of the Male Deer Exercise in
the following books on Qi Gong. The version above appears in Kenneth
S. Cohen's The Way of Qi Gong (Forward by Larry Dossey, MD).

Other versions of the Male Deer Exercise can be found in the following books: